EVGENY VIKENTEV THE PIONEER

IN ST PETERSBURG, EVGENY VIKENTEV PUTS A DISTINCTLY MODERN SPIN ON RUSSIAN CUISINE. FACED WITH BANS ON WHOLE SWATHES OF FOREIGN PRODUCE, CREATING EXPERIMENTAL, OUTWARD-LOOKING DISHES CAN BE TOUGH —BUT HE’S UP TO THE CHALLENGE.

- LUCAS OAKELEY

“Have I helped to change people’s understanding of Russian flavours? Yeah, I think so,” says Evgeny Vikentev. “I’ve had a lot of people come up to me after dinner and tell me, ‘Evgeny, that was super-interesting. We thought Russian cuisine was just pelmeni [dumplings].’”

The chef set up his St Petersburg restaurant, Hamlet + Jacks, in 2015, with friends Evgeniy Litvyak, Evgeniy Khitkov, Evgeniy Tonkov and Hamlet Movsisya. He’s part of a new generation of chefs spearheading a movement in Russian gastronomy, using local ingredients and modern techniques to push boundaries and change perceptions of the country’s cuisine.

Located a short walk from Nevsky Prospect, St Petersburg’s main shopping street, Hamlet + Jacks is a slick, industrial-style restaurant. You won’t spot pelmeni or borscht on the menu here — instead, you’ll find the likes of beef tongue, simmered in bulgogi sauce until it’s cushion-soft, and a 140-strong wine list, each option sourced from smallscale organic, biodynamic or natural wineries.

As executive chef, Vikentev’s aim is to make Russian cuisine — often regarded as stodgy and heavy on the dill — more attractive to modern palates. “My cooking is contemporary Russian gastronomy based predominantly on local ingredients,” he says. “It’s about adjusting and adapting to what you have. My goal is always to create something unique, and to create a story and experience for my guests.”